INDEX- What s going on around tne islands Arts & Leisure ?c At Larae 5A Calendar 3B Citvside 9A Classifieds 5C Crossword 5Q Taking charge Dad's day Movie Review 4C Needle Points 4P For one day, Stern children Police Beat 2A Scuba Scoop 3A island students pay tribute Weather Watch 3A run the city to their father IB 1 96 1-199 1 Still first on Sanibei LiffiJ and Captiva VOL. 30, NO. 24 TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1991 THREE SECTIONS, 28 PAGES 50 CENTS $9 million Brazilian pepper removal plan proposed By Steve Ruediger The ordinance he suggested would require pepper Schofield said he thought now would be a good time to Islander staff writer removal within three years on undeveloped subdivision start a Brazilian pepper removal program, because the A 10-year, $9 million plan to remove all Brazilian lots and within 10 years on all other property. effort to remove melaleucas had been so successful. pepper from Sanibei will be considered at a special Schofield was asked later how it was possible to start at The $100,000 in the city budget for Brazilian pepper meeting of the city Vegetation Committee on Tuesday, one end of the island and work to the other end when all removal has not yet been spent because a pepper removal June 18, at 1:30 p.m. in the luncheon room at the Public developed property owners had up to 10 years to act. plan had not yet been adopted, Schofield told the Works Department. Wouldn't people on the east end just say they would wait committee. Half the money to fund the project would come from nine years, eleven months, he was asked. property owners and half from the city. The public works director responded that that was a A special meeting was set so the committee could question which would undoubtedly come up and would consider the plan in time to have a proposal ready for the have to be handled in the wording of the ordinance. June 26 City Council meeting on the city budget. The proposed program would require property owners to An outline of the proposal was presented at Thursday's, pay half of the expense of clearing the pepper from their June 6, Vegetation Committee meeting by Public Works land. The city would pay the other half. However, if the Director Don Schofield. He said he wanted to give the property owner granted an easement to the city, the city committee members a few days to look it over. would pay the full cost. To implement the plan, several actions would have to Other governmental organizations would be required to take place immediately. They included: the adoption of an pay the full cost of pepper removal from their lands. ordinance requiring that all Brazilian peppers be removed Schofield said, "We estimate it would cost $600 to clear from Sanibei, appropriation of $450,000 for the program a normal subdivision lot, chip the material, leave the for the coming year and the hiring of one noxious plant debris in a high location and to spray the stumps with a specialist and three men to do hand clearing and chipping chemical to eliminate regrowth." work. He went on to say in his printed report that "an estimate Schofield said he thought the best approach would be to to clear an acre of land, chip and spray would be $3,000. start at the east end of the island and work toward the west With an estimated 3,000 acres to be cleared, the total cost •aid. would be approximately $9 million." Florida League of Cities director opines on proposed charter changes By Frances Adams regarding Subsection (h) in the same section, which One of Shamlian's photos of the two bobcats. Islander staff writer requires voter approval for the levying of any assessments. The 30-year executive director of the Florida League of He said it is an "unusual requirement" that all voters On the prowl Cities doesn't like the charter changes very much that have would have to vote for any special assessment, such as the been proposed by the Municipal Reform Committee. dredging of Shell Harbor canal area. Pair of bobcats seen At the June 7 meeting of the Charter Revision Sittig said the change from "the city known as Sanibei" Committee 1991, Ray Sittig was definitely "not backward to "the city council" isn't a significant change, and called roaming about Sanibei about coming forward" with his opinions. it "unnecessary window dressing." The city is its citizens, A pair of bobcats has reportedly made a few early "1 am a proponent of city government. I am not fearful who delegate power to the city council. He said it is morning and late evening appearances near the Sea Oats of city government," Sittig told the committee. "It traditional to grant powers to the city, a body in and of subdivision on West Gulf Drive on Sanibei recently. The ^appears to me that many of the proposed charter itself, while it is the city council that exercises the powers two wild cats were photographed Sunday morning, June 2, amendments you are offering are designed to restrict or of the city. by Dawn Shamlian as they strolled through her limit the capacity of the city or the city council or the city Sittig "had no problem" with the amendment to Section neighborhood. manager or other participants in your government, for 1.03, that requires an ordinance for any interlocal According to Shamlian, who has lived in the Sea Oats some reason. I do not know those reasons; they may be agreements with other governmental bodies, but said he for a little over a year, the bobcats have been coming very valid." did not favor the restriction. through the area infrequently, every two or three weeks. When it was explained to Sittig that the changes were The amendment to Section 3.02, that changes the At first, she said, the male would periodically pass not proposed by the review committee before him, he council members' terms to two two-year terms from through the area alone. Later the smaller, darker female quickly apologized for his incorrect assumption and unlimited four-year terms, Sittig did not favor, calling it a began showing up — also alone. proceeded to review the proposed amendments (in order, as step backward. Now, they're always together, which makes Shamlian they will appear on the ballot), offering off-the-cuff "Who is the limit on?" he asked. "Not on the office believe - or hope — they are a breeding pair. remarks, with an eye constantly focused on the possible holder. It's on your capacity to elect someone." In recent years, a few Sanibelians and Captivans have restrictive nature of them. The result would be a constant turnover, which almost reported seeing the big cats, which can grow as large as a The change to Section 1.01, that limits the powers of always generates turmoil, he said. medium-sized dog. the city to those enumerated in the charter, is more "Evidently a group of people feel the council and the Shamlian stopped by The Islander office on Friday, restrictive than the original language, according to Sittig. manager have overstepped their bounds or have not done June 7, with several photos of the cats she had taken on He prefers the current language that is the same home rule something." June 2. One picture she took out her bedroom window as rights that have been adopted by hundreds of charters in In a representative form of government, we elect one of the cats crossed her driveway. The others she took Florida since 1970, that basically says a city can do representatives to represent us. "If we don't like it, we can outside. anything except what's specifically prohibited. The kick them out and put someone else in," Sittig said. Although she admitted the cats were timid, Shamlian proposed language is a throw-back to the "Dillon Rule" of At the turn of the century, voters often voted for 75 said they did not appear nervous or scamper when she the 1800s that says a city can only do what is specifically issues on the ballot. The result was that voters were appeared at the front of her house with her camera. authorized to do, and if there's any question, it's denied turned off to the process - fewer people were voting on them. He said it's unnecessarily restrictive. Islanders are reminded that bobcats ~ like alligators and other native creatures — are wild and potentially dangerous, "Obviously, someone doesn't like taxes," he said Please see CHARTER, page 9A and should be avoided. All the following information was taken directly Saturday, June 8, with following too closely after ar from Sanibei Police Department reports. POLICE accident on Sanibel-Captiva Road near Rabbit Road DC Turley passed a car and then ran into the back of a cai a A 32-year-old Marian Road woman requested police BEAT driven by Scott F. Gundling of Ohio. assistance Sunday, June 9, in removing a small rat from a trap. Police released the rodent in a nearby field. A mailbox on West Gulf Drive was damaged Saturday w Police said it appeared to have been set on fire. a> Joel Teodoro Acevedo of Fort Myers was charged warrant for failure to appear on a traffic citation. Sunday with going 55 mph on Sanibel-Captiva Road. The American Legion Post on Sanibel-Captiva Road Michael William Storck of Fort Myers Beach was was broken into Thursday night, June 6, and alcoholic CD A Fort Myers youth was charged Sunday with going 54 charged Sunday with going 55 mph on Sanibel-Captiva beverages were stolen and an attempt may have been made mph on the Sanibei Causeway and with driving without a Road Sunday.